Editorial | Release draft of the Hong Kong national security law for meaningful debate
- Without the wording, it is unclear how it will work or how profound its impact will be on the people of Hong Kong
Beijing is pushing ahead with its national security law for Hong Kong at a breathtaking pace. The National People’s Congress passed a resolution requiring its Standing Committee to enact the legislation less than a month ago. A draft was considered by the committee for the first time last week. But it will convene again on Sunday and the law, which aims to stop subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with external forces, is expected to be passed by the end of the month.
This is a national law and the procedures may not be familiar in Hong Kong. But there has been little time for the city to come to terms with the fast-moving and far-reaching developments.
The biggest concern is that the draft of the law has not yet been made public. Without the wording, it is unclear how it will work or how profound its impact will be. Meaningful feedback cannot be provided until the details are known. It has been suggested releasing the draft would allow opponents to mobilise or flee. But there is not much the opposition can do with so little time left.
A summary of the draft was released through state media on Saturday. It set out a broad framework, but also raised concerns. There was reassurance the law would not curb Hong Kong’s freedoms and would mostly be enforced by the city’s authorities. But other areas raise uncertainties.
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The chief executive will lead a new national security commission, featuring an adviser from the central government. Beijing will also set up a national security commissioner’s office in Hong Kong. The role of the two commissions needs to be further explained.